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How to choose a video conferencing app for your team

To hold video meetings, you need a video conferencing app that lets people join from a link, share their screen and, if you need it, record. For a small team the main differences are free-plan limits on meeting length and recording, how many people can join, and whether webinars need a separate add-on. Of the 5 video conferencing tools we track, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex list a free plan or free tier (limits are in the table above); GoToMeeting does not.

By Bill Belcamino · Page updated September 23, 2026 · Our methodologyResearched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team

Price this for my team See the software it takes

Bottom line up frontby Bill Belcamino, founder of HelpCompare

Editorial assessment

Bottom line up front: Which video conferencing app should a small team pay for?

Usually the one your office suite already includes, with a separate app only if it fails a real test with the clients you meet.

Google Meet starts at $7/user/mo and Teams Essentials at $4/user/mo, against Zoom at $14.16/mo per user billed annually, and the free plans stop every Zoom meeting at 40 minutes and cap group meetings at 40 minutes on Webex and 60 minutes on Google Meet and Teams.

The usual waste is paying for two meeting tools because a few clients send Zoom links. You don't need a paid seat to join someone else's meeting, only to host your own, so license the people who host and let everyone else join. Set a retention rule for recordings on day one, since they hold client conversations, pile up in storage and are one more thing to explain if a client asks what you kept. Then join a test call from a browser on a device outside your company, the way a client would.

My read of the verified data on this page, checked against vendor sources on September 23, 2026. Disagree or spot an error? Tell Bill

How to hold video meetings, step by step

List your meeting types: internal calls, client calls, and webinars or larger events.
Note your longest meeting, your largest group and whether you must record.
Pick an app your guests can join easily, ideally from a browser link.
Connect it to your calendar so every invite carries a join link.
Decide where recordings are stored and who can see them.
Run a test call with screen sharing and recording before your first client meeting.

The software this job takes

Which categories a job needs is Editorial assessment; the tools, prices and dates are Verified data.

Prices are each vendor’s published entry plan, recorded from its own pricing page and dated. The example column prices a team of 10: only per-user prices are multiplied; flat and per-account prices are shown as published. Change the team size in the finder.

You need this

Video Conferencing Software

Video conferencing runs meetings, webinars and recordings online.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Zoom	From $14.16/mo	Per user per month, billed annually	$141.60/mo$14.16 × 10 users (per user per month, billed annually)	Yes40 minutes per meeting, 100 participants	Sep 5, 2026Vendor pricing
Google Meet	From $7/user/mo	Per user	$70/mo$7 × 10 users	Yes60 minutes	Aug 4, 2026Vendor pricing
Microsoft Teams	From $4/user/mo (Teams Essentials)	Per user	$40/mo$4 × 10 users	YesYes — 60-minute group meeting cap	Sep 12, 2026Vendor pricing
GoToMeeting	From $12/mo	Per organizer per month, billed annually	$120/mo$12 × 10 users (per organizer per month, billed annually)	NoNo free plan, free trial only (no payment details needed)	Sep 5, 2026Vendor pricing
Webex	From $12/mo	Per user per month, billed annually	$120/mo$12 × 10 users (per user per month, billed annually)	Yes40 minutes	Aug 22, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Video Conferencing pricing →Head to head:Google Meet vs Microsoft Teams Zoom vs GoToMeeting Zoom vs Microsoft Teams Zoom vs Webex Zoom vs Google Meet10 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

Often added

Business Email & Office Suites

An office suite gives you email at your own domain, documents, calendars and video meetings in one subscription.

Tool	Entry price (as published)	Billing unit	Example: team of 10	Free plan	Verified
Google Workspace	Business Starter $7/user/mo (annual)	Per user	$70/mo$7 × 10 users	NoNo — 14-day free trial	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Microsoft 365	Business Basic $7/user/mo (annual)	Per user	$70/mo$7 × 10 users	NoNo — one-month free trial (card required)	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing
Zoho Workplace	Free for up to 5 users; Workplace Standard $3/user/mo (annual)	Per user	$30/mo$3 × 10 users	YesYes — up to 5 users, 5 GB each (no IMAP/POP)	Sep 19, 2026Vendor pricing

Compare all Business Email & Office pricing →Head to head:Microsoft 365 vs Zoho Workplace Google Workspace vs Zoho Workplace Google Workspace vs Microsoft 3656 switching guides Build a decision brief for these →

What to look for

Editorial assessment

Meeting length on the plan Free plans may end group meetings at a time limit. Check the limit for group calls, not just one-to-one calls.
Recording and storage Check whether recording is included, whether it saves to the computer or the cloud, and how long cloud recordings are kept.
Participant cap Check the maximum attendees per meeting on the plan you would buy, especially for all-hands meetings or client workshops.
Webinar features Registration, attendee-only views and moderated questions can be a separate product or add-on. Price that separately if you run events.
Joining as a guest Clients should be able to join from a browser without creating an account. Test from a device outside your company.
Calendar fit Check that join links are added automatically in the calendar your team uses.

Common mistakes to avoid

Paying for everyone who attends Often only the people who host meetings need a paid seat. Check how the plan bills hosts and attendees.
Recording client calls without asking Clients may not expect a call to be recorded. Ask at the start, and check the recording rules that apply where you and your attendees are.
Running a public event as a normal meeting In a standard meeting anyone can unmute and share. Use webinar-style controls for public events.
Letting recordings pile up Recordings hold client conversations and use up storage. Set a rule for how long you keep them.

What to settle before you buy

Who hosts meetings, and who only ever joins?
How large is your biggest regular meeting, and how long does it run?
Do you need to record, and who may watch the recordings?
Do you run webinars or public events, or only internal and client calls?
Which calendar and office suite must it work with?

Ready to take it to whoever signs off?Turn your shortlist into a one-page decision brief with verified prices, or price the whole job for your team size.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there free video conferencing with no time limit?

Of the 5 video conferencing tools we track, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex list a free plan or free tier (limits are in the table above); GoToMeeting does not. Free plans can cap the length of group meetings, so check the limit for your usual meeting size on each vendor's plan page before you rely on one.

Can I get free video conferencing with recording?

Check the recording line on each free plan: some include it and some do not, and it may save only to your computer. Test where the file lands and who can open it.

How do I choose a free Zoom alternative?

Start with the calendar and office suite you already use, since a meeting tool may already be part of your plan. Then compare host pricing, meeting length, recording and participant caps. The table above shows each tool's verified entry price and billing unit.

How do I run a webinar in my video meeting app?

First check whether your plan has a webinar mode or add-on and what audience size it allows. A normal meeting lets anyone unmute and share, so if you use one for a public session, mute attendees on entry, limit screen sharing to hosts where the app allows it and have a second person moderate questions.

How we built this page

We start from the job, not the product. The phrasings people search for this job (for example “free video conferencing no time limit”) come from our research into how small and mid-size teams describe it. Which software categories the job takes is our editorial judgment. Every tool, entry price, billing unit and date comes from HelpCompare’s open dataset, recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page; nothing is estimated, and where a vendor publishes no price we say so. We take no affiliate commissions and publish no scores of our own. See our methodology or download the data from Open Data.

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Source links on this site are checked every month; last check October 4, 2026. How sources are checked.

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How to choose a video conferencing app for your team

Bottom line up front: Which video conferencing app should a small team pay for?

How to hold video meetings, step by step

The software this job takes

Video Conferencing Software

Business Email & Office Suites

What to look for

Common mistakes to avoid

What to settle before you buy

Frequently asked questions

Is there free video conferencing with no time limit?

Can I get free video conferencing with recording?

How do I choose a free Zoom alternative?

How do I run a webinar in my video meeting app?

How we built this page

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